- Conference
- 2025 Police, Probation and CAFCASS Conference
- Date
- 5 June 2025
- Decision
- Carried
Conference is concerned at the level of assaults and violence Police Officers, Custody Detention Officers and Police Community Support Officers face in their role every day at work.
Violence against women and girls has been highlighted as a priority in policing and rightly so. However, it feels that the same importance is not given to women who wear a uniform. There is often violence against women and girls, and wearing a uniform does not change that.
Police staff are often seen differently to police officers. Often not getting the support or welfare they need and are entitled to.
It shouldn’t matter whether you are wearing a police officer uniform or a detention officers’ uniform or Police Community Support Officer uniform. If you are assaulted in your line of work and that line often being frontline of policing, then support and welfare is your entitlement as a basic minimum.
Conference welcomes the introduction of ‘Operation Hampshire’ which was created to tackle assaults on emergency workers especially in policing. However, there is no consistency to its application therefore leading to a lack of equality in treatment.
Violence against women and girls is a national threat as well as a fundamental human rights violation.
Women and girls experience violence and discrimination simply because of their gender.
According to the Office for National Statistics the range and prevalence of crimes of violence against women is widespread. A study by the Office for National Statistics found that 13% of women compared to 7% of men reported experiencing at least one form of harassment in the last 12 months.
In the UK, almost a quarter of women report having been a victim of sexual assault.
Research has also found that 71 per cent of women in the UK have experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public space, with this number rising sharply to 86 per cent among women aged 18–24.
The appalling murders of Sarah Everard, Maria Rawlings and Sabina Nessa by men on the streets of London stands as a glaring reminder that violence remains a constant threat for women and girls.
Millions of women and girls face many forms of violence throughout their lifetime, including domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment, stalking, female genital mutilation (FGM), child abuse and sexual exploitation.
Violence against women and girls is both a cause and consequence of the inequality between women and men in our society.
Conference calls upon the Police, Probation and CAFCASS Service Group Executive to:
1. Lobby the government for equal outcomes at court for serious consequences of behaviour by perpetrators for all assaults on Emergency workers, including Police staff whatever the colour of the uniform you are wearing;
2. Encourage branches to educate police staff about the different types of assaults they may encounter and the importance of reporting them;
3. Encourage branches to urge employers to create a culture where officers feel comfortable and empowered to report assaults without fear of stigma;
4. Encourage branches to urge employers to provide a standardised approach to support and care for officers/staff who experience an assault including access to mental health services;
5. Encourage branches to urge employers to make ‘Operation Hampshire’ a priority to ensure that it is applied equally with the same importance to every role in the Police, Probation and CAFCASS sector regardless of gender.